Chateau de Maulnes - a unique castle with no parallel anywhere.

Chateau de Maulnes. Well at the centre of the castle spanning roof to cellar.  A staircase winds around it.

Chateau Maulnes is the only hexagonal Chateau in France.  It reminded me of what in England we would call a 'folly' but on a grand scale.

A bit like Castle Drogo near us on Dartmoor.  Clad in scaffolding.

We were sitting in the boat at 5pm this afternoon.  I was sewing and Julian reading.  He looked up from his book and said 'Shall we go out?' I find it difficult to sit still for very long, and it had been several hours since we walked a whole 10 metres from the Cafe du Port to our boat, so I said, 'We could do a little circuit in the car?  We keep seeing signs for 'Chateau Maulnes' but we haven't been there yet.  So we set out and ambled through typical Burgundy countryside, large open fields of cut wheat, dense green forests and small villages with a church spire at their heart, only really intending to look from the outside.

Soon we saw Chateau Maulnes on a hill and the road widened to accommodate a car parking area. We were just walking up a steep flight of steps when a golf buggy stopped at the top in front of us and the man driving it beckoned us to get in.  Of we went further up the hill and soon we were right in front of the Chateau.  A lady said 'Billet pour deux personnes?'  what could we say except 'Oui!'  We had arrived with about 30 seconds to spare for the last (5.30pm) tour of the day.

What an interesting place!  Tour was in French but we borrowed an excellent English spiral bound illustrated tour translation. 2.5 euros per person.